Define R3, Silver Arrow

Define R3 – the successor to the best selling Define R2! Now available with a bunch of improvements, including improved cable routing, air flow and bigger hole in M/B plate for mounting CPU coolers. A detailed list of improvements;

Improvements from R2

Improved air flow with updated fans

Improved noise absorbing material

Bigger hole in M/B plate for mounting of CPU Coolers

Improved cable routing possibilities

Reset button, located behind the front panel door

Many small quality improvements, including improved scratch resistant coating

A new generation of style! The Define R3 case is reaching new heights in combining stylish, contemporary design with maximum functionality and noise absorbing features. The minimalistic, yet stunning front panel design, fitted with noise absorbing material on the inside, creates an aura of exclusivity.

The patent pending feature ModuVent™, in which you can choose whether to have side and top panels open or not, makes the case appealing for users seeking optimal silence, as well as the performance hungry ones.

The sleek black interior is matched with pre-fitted, dense noise absorbing material on the side panels, efficiently absorbing noise and vibrations. You can fit an astonishing total of eight(!) hard drives into this case, using the user friendly HDD-trays. All painted in a nice white color and using black silicone mounts. PSU is mounted in the bottom of the case, with a convenient pull-out filter beneath it.

Are you one of those users always ending up with a case full of tangled cables? No more. The Define R3 offers a convenient and good looking way of hiding them away. The motherboard has rubber covered holes in which you can easily route the cables behind the motherboard.

PC Update Hardware magazine 2010-10-01

"With the Define R2, Fractal Design enters the cases market, and it's a very good product for a first try. Silent thanks to many insulation tips, sober and good looking, targetted with a very affordable price, it's a wonderful case for those who don't need a very strong cooling and are focusing more on quality and silence."

BitCity 2010-05-06

"The attention to details in making this cabinet deserves to be reported. For a price, however in line with competitors, Design and R2 gives the user a choice between a complete soundproofing system or to make a performance, however, equipped with special devices for noise reduction. In both cases, the sleek, modern design allows you to make a good display in any environment"

techPowerUp 2010-04-30

"The sound dampening material along with the sealed off air intakes which are unused and the fan controller all make for a great feature set. Fractal Design seems to have a thing for offering cases which can hold a lot of hard drives, as the Define R2 can hold a eight disks, which is even above average for enclosures much larger than this one."

Silentpcreview 2010-03-28

"It is rare to see a rookie manufacturer come out of nowhere and come up with well-thought out design right off the bat. Luckily for Fractal Design, much of the trail was already blazed by Antec: The Define R2 is a kind of homage to the P180. Fractal Design engineers kept true to its core design, added a few simple improvements, and cut corners in areas they believed were not fundamental to thermal performance and noise reduction. The result is an affordable, versatile, minimalist case that is suitable for housing a simple quiet PC , a well-cooled gaming machine, and anything in-between."

OverclockersHQ 2010-03-10

"Overall the Fractal Design Define R2 was literally the quietest case I have ever used. I was very impressed when we did the review on the Cooler Master Silent case but the one problem I had after prolonged use was the front panel was exposed and when reading media you would hear it loud and clear. The fractal design, although not 100% sound dampening, still remained a lot quieter. The build quality and ingenuity Fractal Provides in this case should make it a much higher ticket item. I have paid $120 for cases with half the features of this case so for $110 this is an unbelievable deal."

PCLab.pl 2010-01-29

Bit-tech follow-up 2010-01-26

"We knew adding extra fans into a case will obviously improve cooling performance, but were amazed at the result of combining the R2 and the trio of superb Sharkoon silent eagles. At idle the GPU temperature from our passively cooled GPU dropped 8°C to a lowly 16°C above room temperature and under CPU load our 130W TDP test CPU dropped a healthy 3°C to a delta T of only 24°C - on par with the Antec 902!"

PCLab.pl Video Review 2010-01-16

Bit-tech 2010-01-15

"The Define R2’s minimalist and straight forward styling will be very appealing to many – particularly the old school PC builders who enjoy clean cut looks instead of a UFO on their desk. The choice to include multiple 3.5”/2.5” drive bays over 5.25” is sensible and forward looking, build quality throughout is solid and the array of noise reduction features throughout is superb - the case really is wonderfully quiet. In fact there’s really not a lot to find fault with here. Cable routing is well catered for, removable dust filters abound (although you’ll need a screwdriver to remove those fitted in the front of the case), the bitumen plating makes an audible difference and you even get plenty of spare screws and fittings included too. Lovely! Fractal Design seems to beat Antec at its own game here!"

PC Chip 2009-12-02

Metku.net 2009-11-30

"Thanks to the bitumen interior and quiet fans, the R2 is very silent. With automatic fan control it's almost completely silent in desktop use. The fan controller is a very nice accessory to control the noise levels with on-the-fly fan speed adjustment. Bitumen, ModuVent and the Fractal Design fans seem to make a perfect combination. [...] Fractal Design Define R2 is a good choice for everyone, who's looking for a stylish and quiet case in the mass of enclosures."

Tweakers.net 2009-10-28

"The firstfruits of Fractal Design has some strengths, like its sleek appearance and high level functionality, and the fact that there is thought to dust. The black interior also plays a role, while the honeycomb grilles, which are covered with soundproof material, and the included fan controller to provide additional credit."